


Splinters of my soul

by sclibrarygirl



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Demons, F/M, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-03
Updated: 2018-04-04
Packaged: 2019-04-17 23:39:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 23
Words: 15,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14200149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sclibrarygirl/pseuds/sclibrarygirl
Summary: Set in the years after the Final Act, Kagome and Inuyasha are married and happy.  But Inuyasha is still afraid of losing the person closest to him.*This is my first Inuyasha Fanfiction that I have ever published so hopefully it is good*All rights to Rumiko Takahashi





	1. Chapter 1

_Smoke filled the air, choking me. I had to get to her. I had to save her. She was going to burn if I didn't. I ran towards the source of the smoke, a burning temple. I knew she was still inside. She hadn't been in any condition to move on her own. Just as I went to throw myself into the flames to save her, a sharp pain went across my back. My enemies were still behind me, trying to slow me down. I needed to ignore them. She was the only one that mattered. Yet with this new pain in my back, it hindered my progression into the burning temple. I struggled against the smoke and falling timber to reach her. I found her in a room, fire rampaging on the walls. It was sucking all the oxygen out of the room. I couldn't breathe. I knelt next to her and looked down at her. Her beautiful face, usually so rosy and full of laughter was lifeless and pale. I pulled her up and put my hand to her face. She wasn't breathing._

_"Kagome?!" I coughed, shaking her slightly._

_"Kagome! Hey wake up for me!" Laughter sounded next to me._

_"She is dead Inuyasha! You were too late!"_

_I looked over and saw Naraku standing there, his face full of delight._

_"She is dead and it is all your fault!"_

_I looked back down at Kagome's face and felt an anger so intense rise up in me._

_"NO KAGOME!!" I screamed. I pulled her closer to me and felt the tears start to stream down my face._

_"No I can't have lost you!!! I need you don't you remember that?! Please don't leave me!!!"_


	2. Chapter 2

"Inuyasha!"

I woke up with a start. Kagome's face was staring down at me, concern in her eyes with a slight twinge of annoyance.

"What?" I demanded. She sighed, relief replacing the concern.

"I think you were having a nightmare," she said.

I snorted and sat up.

"Pff I don't have nightmares. What do I have to be scared of?" I picked up Tetsusaiga and stood.

"Naraku is dead and the Shikon Jewel is destroyed. I have nothing to be afraid of."

Kagome sighed again and stood up. "It's ok to have nightmares you know. They remind you of what you have."

"I didn't have a nightmare ok?!" I growled, turning to her. Her face was saddened by the tone in my voice I could tell but there was no way I was going to let her know that the idea that I had almost lost her so many times plagued me occasionally. I knew that I had hurt her though because she dropped the subject and started putting on her priestess robes.

"Hey," I said, my voice gentle. "I am sorry. I just don't want to talk about it ok?" She nodded and reached down and picked up her bows and arrows.

"I will drop it," she said, walking over to me. I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her in, kissing her.

"Where are you off to today?" I asked her. She smiled and said, "You already forgot didn't you?"

"Forgot what?" I asked as she pulled away and pulled open the straw mat across the door. Light poured in from the morning sunrise, illuminating her face. Her cheeks were rosy now. Not like that time I had just dreamed about. Panic shot through me as I was forced to remember how close I had been to losing her.

"I am going to get some more supplies from Jinenji. I used the last of my herbs on helping Sango and Miroku out with the cold that the girls had." She smiled at me. "What are you doing today?" I quelled the fear that was building up inside me and placed Tetsusaiga in my belt.

"Miroku needs help exorcising a demon. I say exorcising but it is more like conning someone else out of something," I grumbled.

"Ah but you are going with him in case this is a real demon huh?" she said brightly.

"Bingo. I have heard rumors that a demon has been causing panic at nearby villages lately." I followed her outside into the morning air. "Somebody has to keep that monk out of trouble."

"Alright well I should be back in time for dinner."

"Hey isn't someone going to go with you?" I asked.

"Everyone is busy. Sango has her hands full with the twins and the new baby. Kaede and Rin are in a neighboring village trying to help with some sickness over there. Don't worry Inuyasha. I have my bow and arrows with me. I know the path pretty well. And I am going to go over to Sango's and grab Kirara. That way I will not be until tomorrow and I have some added protection." She smiled again and reached up and kissed me on the cheek. "I will see you tonight Inuyasha."

"Ok. Just be careful," I said, rubbing her head. She nodded and walked off toward Sango's and Miroku's. I didn't like the idea of her going off by herself but it was daytime and she was going to have Kirara with her. Besides after the destruction of Naraku and the Shikon Jewel, demons weren't seen as much in the surrounding area.

"They probably know of Kagome's spiritual power and don't really want to mess with her," I thought as I made my way to the outskirts of town. Miroku would be another hour or so. Mornings didn't suit him very well. Especially with the sleepless nights he was getting from the kids. I jumped up in a tree and settled myself into a comfortable position. Might as well get a nap in while waiting. That dream had given me a restless spirit....


	3. Chapter 3

_It was pitch black. Nothing. Just an endless void. I floated along knowing that she had to be here. Where else could she be? I had asked Tetsusaiga to bring me to her. It had not failed me yet. Screeching noises filled the void. The scent of demons. I was being surrounded. I held Tetsusaiga in front of me and waited for an attack._

_"Half demon why are you here?" a voice asked._

_"I am searching for Kagome. Where is she?"_

_"The priestess? She is the one you seek?" it asked, the voice sounding confused._

_"Yes she is. Now tell me where she is!!" I demanded._

_"Why do you seek the lost priestess?"_

_"Lost priestess? What do you mean by that?!"_

_"She will be consumed by her fear of being alone forever and she will be lost to you and the world she once knew. Soon all she will know is this darkness and fear. Great fear."_

_"You better tell me where she is right now you worthless excuse for a demon or I will slice you down!"_

_"It is too late. She has already been lost. The decision has been made." The void was suddenly flooded with a ball of light. I couldn't see anything but a voice reached me._

_"Inuyasha? Inuyasha? Inuyasha!!!!!!"_

_"Kagome?!" I yelled. I squinted into the bright light and could see Kagome in full priestess regalia surrounded by a horde of demons._

_"She is lost to you half-demon. She made the wish and is trapped in here forever sealed to fight with us." A strong force started to pull me away from Kagome. "You are not welcomed here half-demon."_

_"No Kagome!" I tried to pull away from whatever was dragging me but the force was unstoppable. "Kagome!!" Her face was full of fear and I could see she was crying. She reached out to me._

_"Inuyasha!!!"_

_I tried to grab her hand but I was pulled away._

_"No don't leave me here Inuyasha!!! Inuyasha!!!"  
_


	4. Chapter 4

I felt something hard hit my foot. Startled, I sat up and forgot I was on a tree branch. I tried to regain my balance but fell out of the tree and landed on my stomach.

"Ouch," I groaned.

"You need to pay more attention to your surroundings Inuyasha," a voice said from above me.

"Normally I do monk but today I decided I needed a nap," I growled jumping up and brushing the dirt off of my robe. I turned to see Miroku leaning against his staff, sleeping standing up. I sighed and said, "Did the baby keep you up last night?" He snored in response. "Hey listen when I am talking to you Miroku!" I slapped him on the back and watched as he fell flat on his face.

"Inuyasha! Why would you push me?" he demanded sitting up and glaring at me.

"Hey you knocked me out of the tree. I was only trying to talk to you and here you are standing up sleeping like you didn't get any sleep last night."

Miroku yawned and said, "I didn't. The twins had nightmares and the baby kept crying and crying. Sango is still asleep right now. We have a neighbor watching the kids."

"Well let's get going and try to finish this exorcising business," I said, offering Miroku my hand. He nodded and grabbed my hand, standing up and brushing dirt off his clothes. "Where is this house anyway?" I asked as we started heading out of the village.

"It is just a little ways away. They live outside the village and sometimes they come into the village to trade vegetables for supplies and such. They came to Kaede for help with this demon problem they have been having lately but when the sickness came up and she had to leave with Rin, she asked that I help out."

"Uhuh for a price I am sure," I muttered.

"Well naturally," Miroku said, a smile on his face. "I have a growing family to feed. I need compensation for exorcisms."

I rolled my eyes and folded my arms across my chest. "Did you see Kagome this morning?" I asked.

"Yes she did stop by early this morning and took Kiarra with her. She said something about seeing Jinenji and needed to borrow Kiarra for the journey," Miroku said, yawning. "I remember mumbling something about certainly and then she left with Kiarra." I saw him turn to me. "She also mentioned something about you having nightmares last night?"

I scowled. "She doesn't need to be telling everyone my business!!"

"She is just worried about you Inuyasha. She mentioned you haven't been yourself lately. She said all you do is sleep whenever you get the chance and that every time you do, you seem to be moaning and tossing and turning. What is plaguing you?"

"None of your damn business monk!" I shouted.

"Inuyasha stop this foolishness. We have all been through so much together. I know when you are lying and Kagome certainly knows when you are hurting." Miroku's face was full of concern. "Kagome looked so sad this morning as she talked about you. What are you hiding from her?"

I sighed and looked up into the sky. It was the brightest blue, not a cloud in the sky. "It has been almost four years since we defeated Naraku. And not once in those four years had I ever had a nightmare. Kagome being back with me cured me of any nightmares that I may have had in the past." I looked over at Miroku. "But recently I keep dreaming about different times in the past. That time I almost lost you all to the fire and poison and then when we were trapped in the Shikon Jewel. Each time I dream about her death or her being lost to me forever."

Miroku nodded as if he understood. "I too have nightmares sometimes Inuyasha. I look at Sango and our wonderful children and think what if she had died that time?" He looked down at his hand where the wind tunnel use to be. "Or what if I had died due to the wind tunnel that was I cursed with?" He looked back up at me. "It is okay to think back to those times. Those times that we almost lost the one we love remind us to cherish what we have now and value it more."

"That is what Kagome said this morning," I whispered.

"Then she is a wise one indeed," Miroku said. "Oh we are here." 


	5. Chapter 5

I looked up ahead and saw a small hut with a garden off to the side. The hut was shaded in trees and a small drift of smoke rose up from the opening in the hut. 

"Monk! You have arrived!" a male's voice came from the doorway to the hut. 

"Yes we have my good man. May I presume that you are the one who called for an exorcism?" Miroku asked as we stopped in front of the hut. 

The man nodded. "Yes. But we were surprised when Lady Kaede sent word that she would be sending a monk in her place. We had been expecting Lady Kaede and that other young priestess Lady Kagome." 

Miroku nodded his head. "I understand. However both Lady Kaede and Lady Kagome were unfortunately busy. I can assure you though, my services are just as exceptional as theirs." 

I rolled my eyes and muttered, "Sure it is." 

Miroku jabbed me in side with his elbow and continued to smile at the man. "So what seems to be the issue?" 

"Well my wife and I have both been having strange dreams lately. See we lost our son in the war a few years back and those we both still miss him greatly, we have learned to move on." The man started wringing his hands together. "However lately our nightmares have been full of his grisly death. Though we did not see him die, our minds imagine the worst death possible and present it to us nightly." 

Miroku nodded. "Do you believe that your son is possible trying to talk to you somehow?" he asked. 

The man shook his head. "No we were told by our son's friends that he died an honorable death and he went with no regrets. We feel we are at peace with our son's spirit." 

"Well have no worries. We are going to look around and see if we can sense a demon's presence. May we be excused?" 

The man's face seemed relieved. "By all means go right on ahead and see if you can find the demon responsible for this. My wife is in the hut now preparing a meal for you. I will be inside helping her if you need anything." Miroku bowed to the man and we watched as the man walked back inside to the hut. 

"Do you sense anything Inuyasha?" Miroku asked as we started walking toward the garden.  

"No. And I don't smell any demons nearby either. Do you think it is a spirit?" 

Miroku sighed, "I am not sure. And I fear that we won't be able to find out until tonight. That is when these nice people seem to be so troubled." 

"So that means we are staying the night?" I asked. 

"Yes I believe so. Hmmm..." Miroku walked over to the tree that was at the outskirts of the garden. 

"What is it Miroku?" I asked as I followed after him. 

"I am not sure but it seems that I can almost sense something...an evil presence but...." 

A cold wind blew across the garden and just for a second my nose twitched and I could smell demon. "Miroku there is..." I started to say but images flooded my brain. Shippo being torn apart. Miroku vanishing into a black abyss. Sango being eaten alive by a demon. And Kagome. Screaming in agony as Sesshomaru ripped into her flesh with his claws. I heard a scream and felt myself fall to my knees . 

"Inuyasha?!" Miroku was at my side and he touched my shoulder. In an instant, the images stopped and the cold wind went away. A pain shot through my head and for a minute my vision blurred. "Inuyasha?! What happened?" Miroku asked, his voice full of concern. 

"I don't know..."I mumbled. "I smelled demon and then...." 

"What?" Miroku asked. 

"It's nothing," I said, standing up. "Let's just catch this demon." 

"So it is a demon we are facing," Miroku asked. 

"Yes I could smell it but just for an instant. I think this demon can mask its scent somehow," I growled. 

"Do you smell it now?" I searched the air for a scent but could only find the smell of trees and vegetables. 

"No. It has apparently gone back into hiding. Damn!" 

Miroku looked over at me. "Inuyasha what exactly happened? You went stiff for a few seconds, then screamed. Were you possessed?" 

I scowled. "No. Just...." I looked over at the hut. "What the old man said about seeing your fears relived. This demon shows you your nightmares." 

Miroku was quiet for a moment. "Well let us eat and then I will hurry back to let Sango know we are staying the night. It is such a short distance that I should be back in time to help you with the demon."  

"When you go, will you check on Kagome for me?" I asked him as we walked up to the hut. "Just let her know I will be home early in the morning?" 

Miroku nodded. "Absolutely."


	6. Chapter 6

A few hours later the sun was setting as I was waiting on Miroku to return. I was sitting in the tree above the garden when the old man came from the hut.

"Hello there young man," he called up to me.

"Is something wrong?" I asked as I jumped down and landed next to him.

"No no there is nothing wrong. I just wanted to ask if you needed anything for the night? I know you and the monk were planning on waiting out here for the demon and we wanted to make sure you had everything you needed."

"We will be fine out here. Just make sure you and your wife stay inside tonight and don't come out."

The man nodded and looked at the darkening sky. "Is your friend back yet?"

"No not yet but I can take care of the demon by myself," I said.

"Yes of course. Well we shall see you in the morning." I watched the man walk back to the hut as the sun finally disappeared from sight.

"Miroku where are you?" I thought as I jumped back up in the tree. If the demon did attack tonight, I wanted him to catch my scent. Maybe if he did, he would leave the two humans alone. I settled myself into the leaves and branches. If anyone was going to show up, I would see them before they saw me.

"This demon better hurry up," I thought. "I don't want to wait around all night." A warm breeze drifted through the garden and I could smell the fresh soil the old man had turned up. I suddenly felt really tired and felt myself start to nod off when the breeze turned cold and the scent of demon became strong in the air. "Alright time to get rid of this pesky demon," I said, cracking my hands and looking around the garden.

"You concealed yourself poorly half-demon," a voice whispered right next to my ear. I jumped back onto a another branch and looked back but there was no one there.

"What? Where?" I said, looking around.

"You cannot see me half-demon but I am right with you. No matter where you go." This time the voice was right next to me but no one was on the branch. I sliced forward anyway with my claws.  

"All I have to do is follow your voice and I can get you," I growled.

"Ah but you can't. See I can go into the one place where you can't reach me," the voice purred.

"And where is that?" I yelled trying to locate his scent. Pain shot through my head. It was so intense I fell out of the tree and landed on my side.

"In here," a voice whispered in my head.

I know I screamed. I felt myself roll up into a ball as my body tried to protect itself from the pain in my head. It felt like the voice was digging through my memories and my soul. I was helpless as I saw the demon go digging through memories of Kikyo and Naraku and even my childhood.

"So much pain," the voice murmured. "So much loss. This is incredible. Oh but what is this?" I felt the demon reach deep inside and find the memory of Kagome that I had when she had returned from her world to stay in mine forever.

_"Were you waiting long for me?"_

I remembered the joy that had filled my soul when I had taken her in my arms. The feeling of completion and knowing that she would be with me forever had given me peace.

"This woman means a lot to you I see half-demon. Losing her is the ultimate despair for you. You have come so close to losing her that it fills you with such fear. Fear that I can feed off of for a very long time."

"You....stay.....away......from her," I growled. "If you....touch Kagome...."

"You will suffer greatly if something happens to her. And you can take a great deal more suffering than any normal human soul can which means that I can drain your life force for a much longer time without having to find a new host to feed off of." I heard the demon laugh in my head. "I will find this Kagome and you and I are going to play a long game of hide and seek."

"Inuyasha!!!!" I opened my eyes to see a blurred outline of Miroku racing towards me.

"Catch me if you can half-demon," the demon whispered.

Suddenly the cold breeze turned warm and another round of pain raced through my head. Just as Miroku reached me, I felt my body relax and black spots filled my eyes.

"Inuyasha!!! Are you alright?!" I heard Miroku ask from very far away. I wanted to tell him to go after Kagome, to protect her but my mouth wouldn't work. Instead my body felt tired and I finally succumbed to the black abyss that was drowning me.


	7. Chapter 7

_I had been stupid...again..._

_This time was no different from the rest. I had fallen into a trap and not even realized it. And she was paying for my stupid mistake...again. I had to find her. She had to be safe. She just had to be.  I needed her to be. If she wasn't no telling what I may do. And it would still be all my fault._

_I stopped and sniffed the air. Up ahead. She was there in the house. I raced toward the house and took a mighty leap and piled through the side of the house. Timber fell around me and the house creaked as if it might collapse._

_"Kagome?!" I yelled, catching her scent in the house. I looked around desperately and saw her standing on the opposite side of the house._

_"Kagome!! Are you ok?" I asked. As I walked over to her, I noticed she was holding something._

_"Kagome what are you doing?"_

_"She cannot hear you anymore Inuyasha. She is ours now," said a voice from Kagome's arms._

_As I got closer, I could see a light-haired infant lying against Kagome's chest._

_"What the hell?" I whispered as I felt an evil aura emanating from Kagome._

_"She is ours now Inuyasha. She will be our eyes and we will find the last few shards of the Shikon Jewel. She is now Naraku's slave," the infant said, a cruel smile on his face._

_I looked up at Kagome and saw that her face was blank and her skin had an unusual paleness. But her eyes screamed terror. She was pleading with me for help._

_"Free Kagome now," I demanded, grabbing my Tetsusaiga and letting it transform._

_"You cannot hurt me without hurting her," the infant snickered. "So what will you do?"_


	8. Chapter 8

"I hope he will alright. Miroku did you see anything?"

"No I arrived to find him writhing on the ground and screaming. He seemed to be in a great deal of pain."

"There are no wounds on him just bruises it seems. Maybe he fell out of the tree?"

"I would assume he did. His choice spot for hiding is in the trees."

I groaned and opened my eyes. Sango and Miroku were seated next to me. The old man and his wife were on the other side of me. The lady tended to a fire that was near me. It felt good. My skin was cold and clammy.

"Miroku? What is going on?" I asked. They both looked down at me and I could see their faces relax.

"Inuyasha! You are awake," Miroku said.

Sango put her hand on my forehead and asked, "How do you feel Inuyasha?"

"My body is stiff and there is a throbbing pain in my head," I replied noting how good Sango's warm hand felt on my head.

"You are so cold," Sango said.

"Here is an extra blanket," the old lady said, handing it to Sango. She nodded her thanks and spread it on top of me. Already I could feel the warmth start to spread and heat up my body.

"Thanks Sango," I said.

"He said thanks?" I heard a voice chirp from somewhere behind Sango. "He must be ill!"

"Is that Shippo?"

Shippo jumped up and was perched on Miroku's shoulder. "Yup. I was visiting Sango when Miroku came home. We insisted on coming."

"Inuyasha what happened to you?" Sango asked.

"We heard you screaming outside but we stayed inside like you told us because we were not sure what was going on," the old man said.

"Good thing you did," I murmured. "That demon would have gone after you too."

"The demon attacked you?" Miroku asked.

"I was waiting in the tree for the demon when suddenly I could hear his voice but I couldn't see him. Then I think he possessed me or something. He went rattling around in my memories and then...." I jumped up and looked over at Miroku.

"Did you see Kagome?"

Miroku shook his head. "She had not yet returned. The trip is long and I was there earlier than she was probably expected to return. Why?"

I made my way to the door of the hut, stumbling as the room spun.

"Inuyasha!" Sango exclaimed, running over and grabbing my arm. She helped to steady me and let me lean against the door frame.

"Kagome is in danger," I said. I could feel the panic start to build up in my chest. Miroku stood up.  

"How is Lady Kagome in any danger?"

"I don't have time to explain this right now!" I growled. "We need to leave now and find Kagome!"

"But Inuyasha you are in no condition to..." Shippo started but I cut him off.

"I have to!!! I have felt worse than this before." I grabbed the door, swung it open and took off at a fast pace outside. My stomach threatened to heave but I forced myself to continue on. I had to reach Kagome before the demon did.

"Inuyasha wait up!" I looked behind him and saw Miroku racing up to catch up with me. He was carrying Sango and Shippo was riding on his shoulder.

"Hurry up monk!" I yelled back at him. Miroku matched my speed and started running alongside me.

"Tell us what happened while we are on the way," he said.

"The demon feeds off of people's fears. It can create illusions and then it feeds off of the fear," I replied. "Well the demon found out my worst fear and he believes I will be an excellent host for his bag of tricks. He said that because I am a half-demon, my soul can outlast a human's soul and he won't have to find a new host for a long time."

"Interesting," Miroku said. "This demon can create his victims and feed on them for as long as their soul remains intact."

"He could in fact never die as long as he feels the presence of fear," Sango remarked.

Shippo's voice which was quite brave despite his scared face. "So what is your worst fear Inuyasha?"

"Isn't is obvious?" I said feeling the panic start to swell again.

"Something happening to Kagome."


	9. Chapter 9

**_Kagome's POV_ **

"Man it is late Kiarra. I sure hope Inuyasha isn't worried about me," I said as I rode Kiarra through the air back toward our village. "At least the weather is warm right now so we aren't traveling in the cold."

Kiarra growled as if to agree with me. I petted her fur and said, "Thank you so much Kiarra for taking me back and forth to Jinenji's house. When we get back, I am going to get you a lot of fish to eat." Kiarra purred contentedly.

"Ok we are almost there. Let's go ahead and land and we can walk from here." Kiarra made her way down and we landed in a little clearing in the forest. Kiarra transformed and jumped up into my waiting arms. She snuggled down and closed her eyes. "That's right Kiarra. Get some rest. You definitely earned it today."

I found the path that led into the forest and started walking. It was dark but the moon was shining through the trees, lighting up the path pretty well. Kiarra was sleeping peacefully in my arms. I was not scared of being here all alone. I had walked this path many times in the daytime and night. I was pretty good with my bows and arrows and this time I had sweet Kiarra with me.

"We are almost there," I thought to myself. I couldn't wait to see Inuyasha. I had told Jinenji about Inuyasha's nightmares and he had given me a plant to make into a tea. "That way Inuyasha will sleep better at night," I whispered to Kiarra as I stroked her head. A cold breeze swept through the trees and I shivered. Kiarra woke up and started growling.

"Kiarra?" I asked. "What is it?"

She jumped out of my arms and transformed into her larger self. She bared her fangs at the path in front of us. I sensed an evil presence and took my bow and an arrow and notched it.

"Who is there?" I demanded.

A menacing laughter filtered through the trees.

"You must be the priestess Kagome. Inuyasha's woman. I have been looking for you."

A cold shiver went up my back. That voice was coming from behind me. I turned around and let loose my arrow. I watched as it soared through empty air and hit a nearby tree.

"You cannot hit me my dear. You cannot see me. But I can see you!" A force shoved me to the ground hard.

"Kiarra!!! Let's go!!!" I yelled, scrambling up and running over to her. She allowed me to get on and then lifted us up into the air.

"We need to get out of here and find Inuyasha," I told her. She started flying in the direction of the village when a hurricane like wind hit us and down we went. I fell off of Kiarra and started free falling through the air.

"Kiarra!!!" I screamed as I watched her fall to the ground hard.

"Do not worry about her," the voice whispered.

He was in my head!

"You are about to be in a lot of pain my dear."

I tried to grab onto the tree branches as I hit them but I was going too fast. I could feel the skin scraping off as the branches slipped out of my hands.

"Inuyasha!" I screamed as the ground came racing up to me. A flash of yellow appeared under me as I landed. "Kiarra!" I thought. I landed on Kiarra and she let out a yelp of pain.

"Thank...you Kiar...ra," I gasped as I tried to catch my breath. I rolled off of her and stumbled to my feet. Blood covered my arms and legs from where the tree branches had scratched down my skin. I was too scared to look at my hands, knowing from the pain that I felt that they also had to be bleeding. I looked over at Kiarra. She was covered in dirt and grime from the fall and didn't seem to be too badly hurt but I was sure that I had hurt her when I landed on her.

"Kiarra we need to get out of here," I said to her, petting her head gently. I looked around to where we landed.

"I don't see that demon around," I said.

"You haven't been looking hard enough my dear Kagome." Pain shot through my head.

"Kiarra!" I screamed, pulling myself onto her back. "Go!!" Kiarra started running through the forest.

"Do you really think you can hide from me? I need you. You are the key to Inuyasha's heart and soul."

I could feel tears streaming down my cheeks and my head throbbed from the pain. I was barely aware of Kiarra exiting the forest.

"Why do you want Inuyasha?" I thought.

"Because I wish to feed on his soul." I could feel the hunger of the demon in my head. He was consumed with feeding on Inuyasha's soul.

"No," I whispered. "I can't let you do that."

The demon laughed. "There is no way of stopping me, priestess. Once I have you, I can began to feed on him."

I looked ahead of us and could see the village coming into view of the moonlight.

"Kagome!!!"

I could see him. Inuyasha!! He was coming right for us.

"Inuyasha!!!" I could feel the demon inside my head. He seemed pleased to see Inuyasha. "I will make him suffer and feed on his soul," I heard him whisper.

"No. I won't let you," I thought.

"You have no choice in the matter. His fate has already been decided," the demon said.

I felt the pain in my head ease off and suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked behind me and saw a pale man sitting behind me on Kiarra. "Now it begins," he said, smiling at me.

I felt myself fly up into the air and watched as Kiarra stopped running below me. She looked up at me and growled. The man was holding me in the air and watching Inuyasha as he came closer.

"Let go of me!" I yelled.

"Hush girl or I will eat you here and now," the man said quietly.

But I was not intent on letting this demon eat Inuyasha's soul. I elbowed him in the stomach. Not expecting me to attack back, he dropped me in surprise.

"Kiarra!!" I heard Inuyasha yell. Kiarra raced up to catch me but then the man was there grabbing my arm.

"I told you to hush," he said his eyes blazing red with anger. He pulled me up and grabbed arm. He began bending it backwards. Pain was shooting through my arm.

"Please stop," I cried, knowing that my arm couldn't go back much further.

"Leave her alone!!" Inuyasha jumped up in front of me and grabbed the demon. He punched him which caused him to let go of me. Inuyasha wrapped his arm around me and kicked off the demon, sending him flying backwards. We landed next to Kiarra and Inuyasha looked over at me.

"Are you ok Kagome?" he asked.

"Yeah I will be alright. Inuyasha that demon wants to feed on your soul."

"I know," he said. "But right now I am more worried about you. I need to know if you are ok?"

I could see the fear in Inuyasha's eyes. I had never seen him this scared before.

"Yeah Inuyasha. Are you ok?" I asked.

His face seemed to relax slightly. "Yeah I am fine." He turned back to the demon. "Alright you bastard. Who are you?!"

The pale demon smiled. "I am Omo Akumu, last of the Yume tribe. We were the controller of dreams. Hopes and fears, we fed on humans and demons alike. However my people were wiped out by the powerful demon Naraku. He had no emotions except a lust for power. We could not stop him. I was the only survivor."

"The only survivor? And your enemy was Naraku? Then why attack us?! We destroyed Naraku. We should be on the same side," I said.

"Just because you destroyed my enemy does not mean that you are my friend," Akumu said. "Besides just like you I need to feed and I have not found anyone as delicious tasting as Inuyasha in a very long time."

Inuyasha pulled Tetsusaiga out of the sheath. "Well I hate to break it to you Akumu but I don't plan on letting a lowlife like you suck on my soul."

"Lowlife?!" Akumu hissed. "You watch your place half-demon! I have the blood of a pure demon."

"Heard that line before," Inuyasha growled. "Now taste my Tetsusaiga. Wind Scar!!"

"Fool!!! I can not be hurt by that sword," Akumu laughed. "Besides the fun is just beginning!"

I watched as the wind scar hurtled toward Akumu but he suddenly vanished.

"Where is he?" I said.

Inuyasha looked around, anger on his face. "Damn him," he muttered.

"Lady Kagome!! Behind you!!" I heard Miroku yell and turned to see Akumu's face just inches from my own.

"Come now Lady Kagome. Time to start the fun," he said smiling again. He vanished and I felt another searing pain shoot through my head.

"Inuyasha! He is....in...my head...!!!!" I screamed as I hit my knees on the hard ground.

"Yes I am my sweet. And I am going to cause you so much pain."

I could feel the demon's joy as he swirled in my head, taking over my body.

"Kagome! I am right here!! Kagome can you hear me?"

I opened my eyes to see Inuyasha holding my face and staring me in the eyes. His voice seemed to be so far away.

"Kagome I won't let you go. I have you. I won't leave you." His voice was so full of fear. I could hear it. I had never seen him like this before.

"Akumu is manipulating Inuyasha's fears," I thought. "That is why he is so afraid."

"Yes Inuyasha fill your soul with fear and sorrow so that I may feed on it," I heard the demon whisper.

"N...no..no you can't have him." I struggled against Akumu in my head.

"It is too late for I am already feeding on him. See my dear?"

I looked at Inuyasha in front of me and could see a white aura connecting me to him. His soul was slowly draining into me, into Akumu!

"No get away from me Inuyasha!!" I yelled, breaking Akumu's hold and punching Inuyasha away from me. I stood up and tried to run away. Anywhere to get away from Inuyasha. But Akumu was already stronger from the one time of feeding. I felt his mind race over mine and snatch control away from me.

"I did not say it was time to leave yet, Kagome," he said laughing. My body stopped and I could feel myself turn back to Inuyasha. He was back on his feet and I could see that his face was red from where I had punched him.

"Inuyasha run!!" I tried to scream but my body was no longer in my control.

"I am ready to make him suffer," Akumu whispered.


	10. Chapter 10

**_Inuyasha's POV_ **

I could see Kagome was scared. Her eyes were full of fear. I could only imagine what he was doing in her head, what pain he was causing her. And here I was sitting on the sidelines, unable to do a damn thing. My face was sore from where she had punched me. I know she had done that and not Akumu. Akumu wanted me as close as possible, to feed on my pain and suffering. That was why now Kagome had a blank look on her face and was walking towards me while her eyes screamed out her fear. He was controlling her.

"Miroku!! I am going to need you and Sango on this!" I called out.

"Right!" Miroku agreed.

I saw Sango nod.

"Don't worry Inuyasha!! We have your back," she replied.

"We must exorcise the demon from her body," Miroku said, grabbing some sutras and quickly chanting an incantation. He threw them to Kagome but the demonic power radiating from Akumu burned them before they could touch her skin.

"Your paper will not work if they cannot touch her," Kagome/Akumu said.

Miroku looked at me and I nodded at him.

"Ok plan b then," I growled.

A ghostly figure of Akumu appeared above Kagome and laughed.

"Kagome is suffering half-demon. I can feel her pain. She is screaming in agony, trapped in her body."

"Kagome," I thought, looking at her body. She seemed so out of it, blankly staring at me. She didn't look like she was hurting. But there were tiny things that told me the real story. Her fingers were clenching open and shut. Her body was shaking slightly and beads of sweat were forming on her forehead. She was trying to fight him.

"Kagome! Just hold on a little longer!" I yelled.

Akumu laughed.

"Yes Inuyasha give her false hope. Make her hold out a little longer. It will make drinking your soul tastier."

"Shut up you bastard!" I shouted and ran to Kagome.

"I won't let you suffer Kagome," I thought as I raced toward her. "You have already suffered enough. Please stay strong Kagome."

As I neared Kagome, I could feel my body start to slow down and feel sluggish. A whisp of white smoke seemed to connect Kagome to me.

"The demon is feeding on me," I thought. "Just got to get to her."

"Not too close half-demon," Akumu said and Kagome's body began moving away from me.

"Not so fast," I growled and jumped at Kagome. I grabbed her arm and held on firmly.

"Miroku! Now!" I yelled.

Miroku had been shadowing me as I raced to Kagome. He came up from behind me and placed a sutra on Kagome's arm. I held her tightly as she tried to wrestle away from me and pull the sutra off.

"Come on Kagome! Fight him!" I said. I could feel my strength fading. The demon had fed off a lot of my energy. I could hear the sutra starting to sizzle against her skin and Akumu started yelling.

"It's working!" I heard Shippo yell.

"It's taking too long," I growled as I started to have black spots in my vision. Kagome continued to struggle as the sutra worked to exorcise the demon.

"Hang on Inuyasha," Miroku said next to me.

Suddenly a searing pain raced across my arm and I looked to see that Kagome had managed to grab an arrow from her quiver and stab down into my arm that was holding her. Her sacred powers were purifying my skin.

"Kagome! Stop him! Fight him!" I yelled.

Her response was to dig the arrow deeper into my arm.

"Kagome," I whispered, looking into her eyes. Her face showed no sign of remorse but her eyes were full of tears.

"Inuyasha...please stop. I...don't want...you to get hurt," she struggled to say.

"Shut up! I am not letting go of you!! I can't lose you!! Never again!!!" I shouted. "Now Miroku!"

Miroku raced up next to Kagome and started chanting an incantation over the sutra. The sutra burned brightly and Kagome screamed. The arrow she held sunk deeper into my arm, spewing blood all over us both. Pain raced through my body as the arrow sought out the demon parts of me in an effort to purify me.

"Damn you half breed!!!" Akumu yelled.

I watched as he flew from Kagome's body and hovered above us. Kagome stopped screaming and slumped in my arms. Miroku grabbed Kagome's arrow and threw it away from me.

"I will get you Inuyasha!!!" Akumu said. "That girl will suffer and I will feed on your soul for a very long time."

"Don't you ever come near her again Akumu," I growled. "Or it will be the last thing you ever do."

"Threats Inuyasha?" Akumu laughed as he vanished. "You can't even touch me."

"Is he gone?" Sango asked as she came over.

Miroku closed his eyes.

"I can no longer feel his presence. Inuyasha do you sense him?" he asked, opening his eyes.

I stood up straight, holding Kagome close to my body. "I don't smell that bastard."

Miroku nodded. "He has probably hidden himself once again. He may be watching us right now."  

I looked down at Kagome and could see where her skin was burned from the sutra. She had cuts and scratches all over her arms and face and her hands were covered in dry blood.

"What did he do to you Kagome," I thought as turned and started toward our house.

"Inuyasha!" Shippo called from Sango's shoulder. "What about Akumu? Shouldn't we go after him?"

I looked over at the three of them. "I need to take care of Kagome," I said and turned back to the village. "She comes first."

I carried her back to our house and laid her down on the mat. Carefully I washed her hands and face. Then I wrapped her hands and the burn spot on her arm. At some point, Kaede and Sango joined me in the house but I didn't talk to them. I changed Kagome's clothes and put her bed robe on. Then I covered her in a blanket and looked at Kagome. She was still unconscious but she looked a lot better than she had when Akumu had possessed her.

"Inuyasha?" I heard Sango whispered softly. I looked up at her and Kaede and saw worry on both of their faces.

"What is it Sango?" I asked, my voice sounding a little gruff.

"Why are your hands shaking?"

I looked down at my hands and was surprised to see them shaking. I was suddenly aware of a panicked feeling in my chest and I could feel adrenaline racing through my body. I looked down at Kagome and felt my chest tightened with fear. I jumped up and raced past Sango and Kaede out of the house.

Miroku and Shippo were outside. Shippo jumped up and asked, "How is she Inuyasha?"

I muttered, "I have to go."

I raced off into the woods, ignoring Shippo's and Miroku's questions.


	11. Chapter 11

Kagome's POV (dream)

_I was afraid. No doubt about it. I have never seen his eyes so full of hate, so full of bloodlust. It was almost like looking at Naraku._

_Nothing but pure hatred and need for blood._

_But I was never going to tell him that. I was never going to let him know that it scared me, that I feared for my life. I was going to save him from that pain, that agony._

_W_ _hy?_

_Because he had already seen me suffer enough._

_He had seen that pain that his claws had inflicted on me before. He had seen that heartache and loneliness as he struggled between Kikyo and I._

_Besides none of that really mattered. I loved him. I was going to do everything I could to save him from his own pain and sorrow. I was going to heal him, patch the wounds that Naraku and Kikyo had made. I wanted to save his soul. And if that meant dying while trying to save him from his demon self, I would do it in a heartbeat._

_So as I stood there looking at his full demon self, his red eyes glowing, his claws drenched in blood, the fear for my own life left me. All I wanted to do was save him from the fear inside himself.  B_ _efore it was too late._


	12. Chapter 12

I woke up to the sounds of birds and sunlight streaming in through the window. I looked around the room and saw Kaede and Sango sleeping not far from me. Shippo was tending the fire and a pot boiled above the flames. 

"Hi Shippo," I said. Shippo jumped and looked up at me. 

"Kagome!!!" he said, a smile forming across his face. He ran over to me. "How do you feel Kagome?" 

"Well my body aches and my head hurts even worse. What happened?"  

Shippo sat next to me. "Miroku and Inuyasha were able to expel Akumu from your body. Then Inuyasha carried you home and bandaged up your wounds." 

I lifted up my arm. "He did a really good job," I murmured. 

"Yes considering his hands were shaking the entire time." 

I looked up from my arm and saw Sango had come over. 

"What do you mean?" I asked. 

"His hands were shaking the entire time he was cleaning you up," Sango said. "He looked so scared." 

I pushed myself up and felt how sore my entire body was. 

"Kagome! Take it easy," Shippo said. 

"Where is Inuyasha?" I demanded, standing up and changing into my priestess robes behind the screen. 

"We don't know," replied Sango. "He disappeared last night into the woods. Miroku went to try and find him but he has not returned yet." 

I could hear the anxiety in Sango's voice. I walked over to the doorway and grabbed my bows and arrows. 

"Kagome what are you doing?" Shippo asked. 

"Going to look for Inuyasha. He is in danger and something is wrong with him," I replied. 

"I am going with you," Sango said. "I am worried that he and Miroku have yet to return." 

"What about the children?" Shippo asked. 

"Shippo when Lady Kaede wakes up, will you ask her to fetch the children from my neighbor's house?" Sango asked. 

Shippo nodded. "We will take care of them Sango." 

Sango turned to me and said, "Kiarra is outside. We can take her to search for them." 

I waved goodbye to Shippo and walked out with Sango. Kiarra was ready for us. As we flew towards the woods, I thought about the dream I had. 

"Inuyasha please don't do something stupid," I thought. "I am on my way to save you."


	13. Chapter 13

Inuyasha's POV

I could hear Miroku calling my name but I kept quiet while he searched the forest in front of me. 

"Inuyasha!! It is not safe to be out!" he said, looking around the trees, trying to catch a glimpse of my red robe. "Akumu will be hunting you down. We need to stick together!" 

I watched as he sighed and continued forward, deeper into the woods, calling my name. 

"I can't put her in danger again," I thought as I turned and raced off in the opposite direction of Miroku. "If Akumu wants me so badly, he can come and get me. And leave Kagome out of it." I thought back to when I had left her at the hut. She had been severely hurt from her battle with Akumu and with us. I did not want her to go through that again. 

"Kagome I will go and take care of Akumu and then return back to you. I am not going to let my own fear kill you." 

"Inuyasha. Now just where do you think you are going?" a voice whispered in my ear. 

I jumped up and turned to look behind me. 

"Akumu!" I growled. "Where are you?" 

A laughter filled the air but I could not tell where he was. 

"Half-demon I have told you before. I am in places where your claws cannot reach me." 

Once again a splitting pain raced through my head. I landed on a tree branch and put my hands to my head. 

"Akumu!! Get the hell out of my head!" 

"Inuyasha. I need you to not run away. I cannot enjoy your soul if you are not feeling enough pain. And even though your soul is already full of intense pain and suffering, you soul will taste sweeter with fresh sorrow added to the mix." 

"Well I am not going to let you take over Kagome!" I yelled. 

"I am not going to take over Kagome again. Trying to control a priestess is not easy. She was a very strong individual. But you my friend are just a half-demon. I can easily control your mind." 

I could feel Akumu moving around in my head. 

"What are you doing?" I asked. 

Suddenly I felt my arm move towards Tetsusaiga. I watched as I lifted it from my robe and drop it to the ground. 

"Why can't I control my own body?" I thought as I struggled to stop my arm. 

"I have control of it now half-demon. And now for your mind...."


	14. Chapter 14

Kagome's POV

"Inuyasha?! Miroku?" Sango called from in front of me. We were riding Kiarra over the tops of the trees, calling into the forest below. 

"Sango I think we need to get lower," I said. 

She nodded and patted Kiarra on the head. "Let's go down further Kiarra." Kiarra growled and we moved into the forest. 

"Miroku?!" I called, looking around for a sign of something...of anything. "Inuyasha?" Kiarra suddenly veered off to the right and flew toward a figure on the ground. 

"Miroku!!" Sango exclaimed. He was waving at us. We landed next to him and Sango jumped off and ran toward him. 

"Are you ok?" she asked. 

"Yes I am. But I was unable to find Inuyasha." Miroku turned to me. "How are you feeling Kagome?" 

"Sore but alright," I said jumping down from Kiarra. I looked around the forest, trying to see if I could catch a glimpse of Inuyasha. 

"I am sorry Kagome. I haven't been able to find Inuyasha," Miroku said. 

"I don't think he wants to be found," I replied softly. 

"Maybe we should give him some time to himself," suggested Sango. 

"But with Akumu out there, trying to feed on him, I don't think giving Inuyasha time to himself is the best course of action right now," Miroku said. 

"Miroku what exactly happened with Akumu and Inuyasha?" I asked.  

Miroku folded his arms. "Akumu possessed Inuyasha last night while I was away. From what we can gather, Akumu can make a person relive old fears and create new ones to put sorrow into one's soul. Then Akumu feeds on the sorrow, taking away the person's soul in the process." 

"Inuyasha said that because he was a half-demon and could take more demonic influence than a regular human, Akumu felt he could feed on Inuyasha's soul for a longer period of time without having to find a new host for a while," Sango said. 

"I wonder if Akumu's presence was affecting Inuyasha a couple nights ago," I said. "Inuyasha was having nightmares. Even though Akumu was not targeting him directly and probably had no idea who Inuyasha was, his presence was so strong that Inuyasha's subconscious could detect it and suffered because of it." 

"But why did it not affect us all?" Miroku asked. 

"Inuyasha told me that he had heard of demon attacks near here lately," I said. "And we know how he tends to worry even though he keeps it to himself. Because of the attacks, his mind probably drifted to the past and his natural worries became affected and increased due to Akumu's proximity." 

"But why would Inuyasha worry?" Sango asked. 

"He has had so many close calls to Kagome's life and with the loss of Kikyo still in his mind, Inuyasha worries a lot. He never shows it to us but I know he does worry about the safety of Lady Kagome." 

"That stupid idiot!!" I yelled, surprising Sango and Miroku. "Always doing dumb stuff like that. Going all macho and mysterious. Why can't he just ask for help every once in awhile?!" I stood there huffing as my voice echoed through the forest. 

"Uh Kagome are you sure you are ok?" Sango asked tentatively. 

I sighed and said, "Yes I am sorry. I am fine. Just...stressed." 

Miroku nodded. "That is to be expected Lady Kagome. You have been through a lot recently." 

"Yeah," I said, my voice soft and quiet. "No matter how much I am annoyed at him," I thought. "I am worried about him. Where is Inuyasha?" 

A strange feeling enveloped me. 

"Miroku do you feel that?" I asked, drawing my bow and notching an arrow. 

"A strong demonic force is coming near us," Miroku replied, tightening his grip on his staff. Kiarra started growling and Sango held Hiraikotsu in front of her. 

"What is it?" she asked. 

"Such hatred. This is a powerful aura," Miroku said. 

I felt the presence get closer. 

"This demon is so fast," I thought as I waited to catch a glimpse of the demon. A figure sprang from the trees in front of us. "Too fast!" I thought. A burst of pain erupted from my right side and I dropped my bow. 

"Kagome!" Sango exclaimed. The figure blurred past us and stopped. Holding my side, I turned to see Inuyasha standing there. He had blood dripping down his hand. His eyes were crimson red and his face was marked with the purple streaks of his father's demon features. 

"Inuyasha?" I whispered. 

"He is in full demon form," Miroku said, standing between us and Inuyasha. 

"Inuyasha? What happened?" I asked, praying that he would recognize me. Instead he laughed and held up with hand and licked at the blood covering his arm. 

"Ah he enjoys the blood of a mortal," a voice laughed from behind Inuyasha. Akumu appeared in the air above Inuyasha. 

"Akumu!!! What have you done to Inuyasha?!" I yelled. 

"I simply released his demon self. It didn't take much. This fool has been so worn down from fear that all it took was to remove Tetsusaiga from his person and invade his mind." I looked at where Tetsusaiga should have been but nothing was there. 

"He needs Tetsusaiga to transform back," Sango whispered to me. "We need to get it." 

"But how do we outrun Inuyasha in his demon form?" Miroku said, watching Inuyasha for any signs of an attack. I looked at Inuyasha. He was watching us all closely and waiting for us to move. 

"We can't outrun him," I thought. "But maybe I can purify him." I picked my bow up and ignoring the pain in my side, notched another arrow. 

"Sango and Miroku take Kiarra and try to find Tetsusaiga. With Miroku's spiritual powers, you should be able to find it. I am going to try to purify Inuyasha from Akumu's control." 

"But Kagome!! Inuyasha will tear you to pieces!!" Sango said. 

I pointed the arrow at Inuyasha. "No he won't. I believe in Inuyasha. You hear that Inuyasha?!" I yelled, moving past Miroku with my bow. "I believe in you. I know you won't hurt me." 

"Foolish girl!" Akumu shouted. "He cannot hear you. He will kill you for the sake of enjoyment." 

I could still see Sango and Miroku behind me. "Guys go get Tetsusaiga!!!" 

"Kiarra!" Sango yelled, grabbing Miroku and running toward Kiarra. They jumped onto her back and soared away. Inuyasha went to run after them but I yelled, "Inuyasha!" He paused and looked at me. An evil grin seem to form across his face. 

"He is thinking about how much he is going to enjoy killing you my dear," Akumu said. "And if he does, imagine how much pain and sorrow will fill his heart. I can feed on that for a very long time!" 

I ignored Akumu. I kept my eyes on Inuyasha. 

"Inuyasha I know you are still in there," I whispered as I moved closer to him. He growled and flexed his hands. I could hear the bones snapping in his hands. "You are still my half-demon Inuyasha. Remember how you said you would stay a half demon for me?" Something seemed to spark in Inuyasha's eyes. "I told you that I loved you. I don't want to lose you Inuyasha," I said. "I refuse to let you become food for this demon. And I won't let you lose your soul to your demon side." 

By this time I had reached Inuyasha's arm. I lowered my arrow and reached out to put my hand on his arm. "I won't lose you," I said. Inuyasha's face seem to grow softer. I gently placed my hand on Inuyasha's arm. "He is not going to take you away from me," I said, reaching my other hand to his face. I could feel my purification powers enter Inuyasha and sought to remove Akumu from his mind. Inuyasha growled at me but did not move as I place my other hand on his cheek. His face became soft and his eyes started to change back. 

"Ka..go...me," he said. 

"I am right here Inuyasha," I said, drawing closer to hug him. 

"No Inuyasha! You are mine to control!! Feel the hatred, the pain that humans caused you. Become a full demon and destroy the human!" Akumu yelled. Inuyasha screamed as if his mind was being torn into two. 

I hugged myself close to him and said, "No Inuyasha!!! Don't give in to him!" I could see that my purification powers were working and that I was going to win when suddenly a strong force pushed me from Inuyasha and threw me backwards. I landed hard on the ground and felt my leg burn. I screamed out in pain and looked down to see that I had landed on a tree branch and it had pierced my leg. Blood covered my leg and pain was shooting through my body. I could feel my body going into shock. I tried to move my leg and screamed again. There was no way I was going to be able to get up on my own. I felt my body shuddering as I tried to breathe normally. I gasped and looked up. Inuyasha was standing above me, looking down at me. His face had reverted back to his demon self and he looked at me as if I was his prey. 

"Inu...yasha..." I gasped out. "Please stop. Don't do this." He raised his claw and blood dripped down and I felt it run down my cheek. 

"Inuyasha feel the pleasure of killing this mortal with your own claws. You need it more than anything else," Akumu said. 

I reached out and grabbed Inuyasha's hand. "Inuyasha come back to me please," I begged.  


	15. Chapter 15

Inuyasha's POV

Blood. Weak mortal. Easy prey. 

The girl in front of me was already wounded. She was pinned. No way she could escape my claws. 

Kill. Blood. More. 

I needed to kill. I needed more blood to be spilled. The smell of it excited me. I wanted to drain it from all living creatures. I could feel something in the back of my head, pushing at me to kill, to take away her fragile life. As if I needed any convincing. My entire body was ready to watch the life drain from her eyes and the ground soak up her blood. 

But then she touched my hand. This weak defenseless creature reached out and touched me. A part of me screamed for me to end her now but I paused. There was something in her touch, something familiar. It calmed my mind. The scent of blood was now no longer a sweet drug but a horrifying realization. I know this girl. A sense of peace seemed to take over my body and I felt myself starting to focus clearly. This girl...this woman.... 

Ka..go..me..." I felt myself whisper. Kagome smiled up at me, even though she clearly seemed in pain. 

"Inuyasha you heard me!" I looked down at her face and could see it was streaked with dirt and tears. She also had blood running down her cheek. It looked almost as if she was crying tears of blood. 

"Kagome!!" I knelt down in front of her and grasped her hand tightly. "Don't let go Kagome," I said. "It is the only thing keeping me from giving in to the demon side." She nodded and then turned her head. I followed her gaze and saw where she was pinned down by the tree branch running through her leg. 

"Inu..yasha.. It hurts," she whispered. I looked back at her. 

"Don't worry Kagome. We will get you out of here." I put my hand up to her face and wiped the blood from her cheek. 

"Kill her Inuyasha!" a voice screamed in my head. I gritted my teeth against the overwhelming urge to give in and listen. Instead I grabbed the tree branch that was piercing Kagome's leg. I broke it off close to the wound and then put my arms around her. 

"Kagome," I said, struggling to stay sane, "I am going to pick you up. This is probably going to hurt." Her pale face nodded up at me and she pulled herself in closer. 

"Go ahead," she whispered. I pulled her up slowly, watching at the branch pulled out of her leg at an agonizingly slow pace. I could see the pain flash across her face, but she never said a word as I pulled her up and carried her over to the trunk of the tree. I sat her down. 

"Inuyasha are you ok?" I heard her ask. 

"Shh Kagome," I said. "Just rest now. And Kagome..." I pulled her face up close to my own. I could feel the pull of my demonic nature, screaming at me to rip her apart. "No matter what happens I love you Kagome." She smiled. 

"I know Inuyasha I love you too."


	16. Chapter 16

Kagome's POV

I could see he was struggling to keep it together. Not even my purification powers could match the sealing powers of Tetsusaiga. He was going to lose it again. I could feel myself slipping in and out of conscious, thanks to the pain that was consuming my body. I grasped Inuyasha's hand, forcing myself to concentrate on Akumu's demonic aura. I needed to push it out of Inuyasha entirely. Then maybe he would be able to keep it together until Sango and Miroku got back.

"Kagome my dear what do you think you are going to accomplish?" Akumu's voice said softly in my head.

"I am going to purify you Akumu," I muttered, holding Inuyasha's hand tighter.

"Not in the condition that you are in my dear. You are too weak to do anything right now. And that half-demon is going to lose his mind very soon. You can barely keep up with his demonic energy."

I gritted my teeth. "I won't lose to you. I can help Inuyasha until we can get the Tetsusaiga back."

Akumu laughed. "Kagome you are a very strong priestess. I was able to experience that first hand earlier. You fought me off. But now you are weak and hurt. I am going to take you away from here. Inuyasha and I are going to play a game of hide-and-seek. Except this game is not a game he is going to win. No matter how it ends up you will die and Inuyasha will be mine to feast on for years to come. But just like a good wine, Inuyasha's soul needs to be aged and full of character before I can really enjoy it." I could feel Akumu creeping into my head from Inuyasha's body. "Inuyasha will not remember what is happening right now. But eventually he will know to come looking for you my dear. And that is when I shall start the aging process. I will hide you from him and watch in anticipation as he tries to find you and fails again and again." I felt Akumu settle into my soul and watched as my hand slowly let go of Inuyasha.

"No..."I whispered as I watch Inuyasha's eyes turn blood red again. "Inuyasha don't let him take me please...Inuyasha....INUYASHA!!!" I screamed as Akumu stood my body up and flew me into the sky. I could see Inuyasha looking up at me, his face seemed confused.

"Inuyasha!!! Don't let him take me!!!" I screamed again. But I knew it was too late as the air around me seemed to glow. The last thing I saw was Inuyasha reaching a hand up towards me and I could hear him say, "Kagome?"


	17. Chapter 17

The girl vanished into the twinkling lights. I did not know who she was but she seemed so familiar. She was crying out my name. I did not know where she had gone but I could still smell her scent in the air. And on my hands. I looked down at my hands. Her scent was all over my hands. I could feel fear rise up inside me. This girl was hurt and it bothered me. But why? A noise off to my left caught my attention. Food. Prey. I could feel my instincts take over and the fear being pushed down.

"Inuyasha?" a timid voice asked.

Easy prey. I snarled and jumped over the bushes. A woman was standing there, a frightened look on her face. I pulled my claws back and went to attack when a man stepped out of the bushes and swung a staff at me. I could not dodge it. I was moving too fast.........


	18. Chapter 18

"Has he reverted back to himself?" I heard a voice ask. 

I opened my eyes and could see that the sun was falling and the stars were starting to come out.  

"I believe he has. Tetsusaiga has reversed his transformation once again." 

I sat up and looked around. Sango and Miroku were sitting not far from me under a tree. 

"What are you two going on about?" I growled. Miroku stood up and walked over to me. 

"Inuyasha do you not remember?" he asked, kneeling down in front of me. 

"Remember what you stupid monk?" I retorted. Miroku silently pointed next to me and I turned to see Tetsusaiga on the ground. 

"You lost your sword and transformed into a full demon," Sango said. 

"I did what?" I said, hearing my voice shake a little. "I don't remember anything." I jumped up. "What happened? Did I hurt anybody? Are you guys ok?" Sango seemed sad as Kiarra jumped into her lap and she started petting her. 

"You really don't remember Inuyasha?" Miroku asked. 

"No..."I started to say but stopped. There was something in the air....a scent. I looked down at my hands and started to shake. 

"Miroku....where is Kagome?" I asked quietly. 

"We don't know," he replied. "We tried looking in the area for her but..." I whirled around and grabbed him and pulled him up. 

"But what Miroku?! WHAT?! Where is Kagome?!" 

"Stop it Inuyasha!!! Put him down!!" Sango yelled, running up to us. I ignored her. 

"Miroku what happened to Kagome?" He wouldn't meet my eyes. 

"We could not find her body. Just traces of her blood." 

"Miroku I swear if you don't give me a straight answer I will..." 

"You turned into a full demon and attacked Kagome!" Sango screamed. I stopped and looked at her. 

"What?" I whispered. 

"Akumu forced you to get rid of Tetsusaiga and you transformed and attacked Kagome!" Sango shouted, tears streaming down her face. I let go of Miroku and backed away. 

"But you guys stopped me from killing her right? I didn't kill Kagome?" 

"We don't know what happened!! Kagome made us leave to fetch Tetsusaiga to transform you back!!" Anger exploded through me. 

"You left me alone with Kagome?!!! How could you be so stupid?" Miroku lifted his head. 

"You are right Inuyasha. It was stupid of us. I take full responsibility for it." Sango's face was red with fury. 

"No Miroku!! It is not your fault. It is Inuyasha's fault!!" 

"How is this my fault?!" 

She balled her fists. "You ran off without anyone to watch your back!! You knew that Akumu was looking for you. So did you think that just offering yourself up to him would make him leave Kagome alone?!" She ran up to me and got in my face. "Inuyasha you didn't even think that Kagome would come looking for you? To save you to protect you?" Sango lowered her head and her body was shaking from her sobs. "Kagome would die to save you Inuyasha. You should know that by now." 

I looked down at my hands again. Kagome's blood was still covering them even though the scent was not as fresh. "Did I kill her?" I thought. I looked up at Miroku comforting Sango. 

"I am sorry Sango," I said softly. She straighten up and wiped her eyes. 

"Inuyasha did you kill Kagome?" she asked. 

I closed my eyes and tried to think back, to remember anything at all. "I can't remember," I said, opening my eyes. I clenched my fist. "I can't remember if I killed Kagome." 

Miroku nodded. "Well it seems Akumu has vanished for the time being. Let us see if we can find Kagome." I turned and walked toward the forest a couple of steps. I sniffed searching the air for any scent of her. 

"There is no scent of Kagome," I said, frustration filling my voice.  

"What?!" Sango exclaimed. "Has that ever happened before?" 

"Usually I am conscious when Kagome is kidnapped and usually there is no invisible demon who can mask everything about himself kidnapping her." 

"Then we shall just have to split up and look around," Miroku said. "Sango and Kiarra will look towards the village. I will travel north and Inuyasha you can cover twice as much area as we can. You look towards the west and south." 

I barely heard Miroku. I couldn't stop looking at Kagome's blood that was covering my claws. Suddenly hands covered my own claws. I looked up to see Sango standing in front of me. 

"Inuyasha she stayed with you knowing the risk, knowing the danger. She tried to save you. Don't dwell on what you did. Just try and save her now." 

I nodded and said, "Thanks Sango." 

She smiled and turned to Miroku. "I love you monk. Now don't go and do anything stupid." 

Miroku kissed her gently and said, "My dear Sango when have I ever done anything stupid?" Sango rolled her eyes. 

"Kiarra," she called. Kiarra transformed and Sango grabbed her weapon and jumped onto Kiarra.  "Don't worry Inuyasha. We will find Kagome!" she called as Kiarra carried her up. We watched her go and I turned to Miroku. 

"If you mess that up, you are one stupid monk," I said. He laughed. 

"Oh I don't plan on messing up." He waved goodbye and headed off into the forest. I took a deep breath and looked up into the sky. 

"Kagome I am coming. Just hold on," I whispered. I raced off into the forest.  


	19. Chapter 19

2 MONTHS LATER

I woke up to a slight pain in my leg. Opening my eyes, I found that we had moved again. This time we were in a cave, high up overlooking a long river and a huge forest. I had no idea where we were. I had lost all sense of direction since Akumu started jumping from location to location. I sat up and looked at my leg. The rag I had used to bandage up my wound was covered in dirt and dried blood. I carefully unwrapped it and was dismayed to find that the wound had opened up again. All of this moving around had prevented my leg from healing properly. I could barely move it. Anytime Akumu wanted to move quickly, he would fly me away somewhere. I ripped off another part of my robe and wrapped my leg in the new fresh bandage. Blood was already starting to show through again by the time I finished. I felt weak. Akumu never bothered to feed me, so I usually grabbed something from the bushes as he forced me through the woods. I checked my pockets and found some berries that I had picked yesterday. Akumu didn't seem to be around. 

"Probably out keeping an eye on Inuyasha," I thought. When Akumu had taken off with me, he had been delighted at his head start on Inuyasha.  

"Inuyasha will not find us for quite some time. I will visit him once in awhile to taunt him and give him false hope. But he will never find you Kagome," he had said to me. Then one day after taunting Inuyasha, he came back to our hiding place, covered in blood. "That cursed half-breed!!!" he screamed at me and then hit me. I landed hard on some rocks and busted up my face. It was still sore even today. Ever since that night, Akumu had been watching his back and moving us every night or every other night. I remember one night hearing Miroku's and Sango's voices in the distance. Akumu said that if I made a noise, he would kill me. Later that night after Akumu had drifted off to sleep, I heard Inuyasha's voice not far off. Akumu woke up suddenly and whisked me off before Inuyasha could find us. I knew Inuyasha was tracking my scent. With all of this fresh blood from my wound every time it reopened, I knew Inuyasha could catch a whiff of it. 

I sighed and sat looking out in the open. I couldn't escape. My leg was too badly injured for me to get far enough away before Akumu found me. And I had no arrows. Akumu had seen to that, pitching my bow and arrows in the forest. A noise sounded outside the cave and in ran Akumu. He was panting heavily. 

"Your friends are strong my dear," he said coming up to me and grabbing my robe. He lifted me up and breathed heavily into my face. "But they won't kill me until they find you," he laughed. He threw me across the cave and I screamed as my leg hit the rocky cave wall. "No sounds out of you!!!" he yelled. He came over to me and pulled me up. "We are leaving. They are too close." 

"Inuyasha!" I thought as he walked me over to the entrance of the cave. I needed to fight for myself, to get Inuyasha's attention before Akumu took me away again. I grabbed the wrap off my leg and took a deep breath. "INUYASHA!!!!!!!!"


	20. Chapter 20

Inuyasha's POV

“Damn,” I said as I lost the scent again. 

“Akumu must have moved her again Inuyasha!” Miroku called from on top Kiarra. 

“Yeah I figured,” I muttered as I walked around trying to catch any clue from Kagome. I could see where she had been sleeping. Her blood from her wound was in one spot under a tree. He had moved her from here probably two or three days ago. “Damn him,” I thought as I looked at the blood spot. Every time we got close enough to her, he moved her. And then every once in awhile he had the nerve to show up and taunt me about it. Like it was all one big game to him. I got lucky one time and almost killed him with the Wind Scar but the lucky bastard had dodged at the last second. I looked over as Kiarra landed and Miroku and Sango dismounted. They were tired. I was tired. We had been searching non-stop for almost two months. 

“Inuyasha is there a scent?” Sango asked. 

“No. We were a little too late this time,” I growled. “Next time he won’t be so lucky.” 

“I can’t wait til we waste this bastard,” Sango said. 

“I agree Sango,” Miroku said. I could feel despair washing over me but I knew that it was only a matter of time. We had Akumu on the run. All we needed was one major slip-up by him then we would have him. I turned to Miroku and opened my mouth to tell them I was going to look around when suddenly an ear splitting screamed sounded from above us. 

“INUYASHA!!!!!!!” 

“That’s Kagome!!!” Sango exclaimed. I was already racing off towards the sound. A light breeze carried the smell of fresh blood. 

“Kagome’s blood,” I thought as I tried to follow it. 

“INUYASHA!!!!!” she yelled again. 

“Don’t call out to her Inuyasha,” Miroku said. He and Sango had caught up with me on Kiarra. 

“Why not monk?” I demanded. 

“We want Akumu to think we are not nearby. Element of surprise.” 

“Oh I am going to give him something to be surprised about,” I muttered. The smell of blood was getting stronger. 

“INUYASHA PLEASE HELP!!!” It took everything in me not to answer her. She sounded so scared. 

“Kagome I am on my way. Just hold on,” I thought as I jumped from tree to tree. I soared into the sky and looked around. There was a mountain nearby with a river extending out in front of us. 

“Inuyasha!! Look over there!” Sango exclaimed pointing towards the mountain. I looked over and could see Akumu. He was trying to flee his new hideout before we found him. Kagome was slung over his shoulder and not moving. I could smell a lot of blood on her. 

“He hasn’t seen us yet,” Miroku called. 

“Ok Miroku and Sango you know what to do,” I said. 

“Yes,” Sango said. “Kiarra take us down into the trees.” I watched as they disappeared into the trees. I landed on a tree near the river and called out, “Hey Akumu!!” I watched as Akumu stopped flying and turned to face me. 

“Inuyasha! My my my to what do I owe the pleasure?” 

“I have come to make an exchange,” I said. 

“Oh?” Akumu asked. 

“You let Kagome go and you can have me. I have plenty of suffering to feed off of with the way that I am right now. You let her go and you can have my soul.” Akumu seemed to be thinking about it. 

“Now half-breed you mean to tell me that this half-dead human is worth more than your own life.” I flinched. 

“Half-dead,” I thought, feeling the fear rise up inside me. “Keep it together,” I reminded myself. 

“She is my wife Akumu,” I said. “I love Kagome. I would sacrifice myself to save her.” 

“Let us talk on the ground Inuyasha,” Akumu said. He flew to the ground and landed. I jumped down and landed in front of him. “So you would sacrifice yourself to save her?” He laughed. “How far you have fallen half-demon. Where did this love of humans come from? A weak mortal father or a pathetic excuse for a demon mother?” I gritted my teeth. 

“None of your business Akumu. Now do we have a deal?” Akumu looked at Kagome. 

“I suppose your soul has aged enough. The girl is going to probably die anyway from her injuries.” He threw her over to me. I caught her and examined her. Her face was black and bruised. Dried blood covered her arm and side. Her robe was coated with dirt. I looked at her leg.  The fresh blood was seeping through the crude bandage. She felt so thin and fragile as if she might snap. 

“Kagome?” I whispered pulling her in and kissing her gently on forehead. Her breathing was ragged and sounded painful. She didn’t respond to me at all. “Akumu what the hell did you do to Kagome?” 

“Good half-demon feel the despair at knowing she going to die. Feel the anguish.” I laid Kagome on the ground gently and stood up, facing Akumu. 

“You are mistaken Akumu this isn’t anguish….this is hatred,” I said quietly. “I will kill you.” 

“Those are big words coming from a half-demon who can not even catch me,” Akumu laughed. I reached down to my Tetsusaiga and pulled it out. “I told you that sword is not going to work on me.” 

“I know Akumu. That’s why I am not going to be using it.” I laid it next to Kagome and stepped towards Akumu. “Now time for you to pay for what you did to Kagome.”


	21. Chapter 21

Kagome's POV

I could hear the sounds of someone screaming in pain. They sounded as if they were in agony. I opened my eyes and felt a sharp pain in my head as bright light invaded my vision. I tried to lift my arm to shield my eyes but I couldn't. I couldn't move my arms. I closed my eyes again and heard another agonizing scream fill the air around me. Chills raced up my body as the screams continued. A shadow appeared over me blocking the light. I opened my eyes again and saw Sango looking down at me. 

"Sango," I whispered. Her face broke out into a smile. 

"Kagome!" she exclaimed. "How do you feel?" 

"Really sore. I can't move my arms." 

She nodded. "Let's get you out of here." Another scream ripped through the air. I saw Sango flinch. 

"Sango? What is that?" I asked her. 

"Don't worry about it Kagome. Inuyasha is fighting Akumu." 

"Is that Inuyasha screaming?" I asked her, feeling a hole start to form in my stomach. 

"Uh...no...Look Kagome it's not safe to stay here right now. Do you think you can walk?" 

"I could try. Help me up." Sango grabbed my arm and put it around her shoulder and pulled me into sitting position. I looked around me and saw that we were behind Miroku. He was standing there with his staff in front of us, chanting quietly. 

"Miroku?" I asked. 

"He is putting up a barrier to keep us safe Kagome," Sango said as she helped me to stand. 

"Keep us safe from what?" I asked looking past Miroku. And then I saw why. I understood why Sango had looked so afraid. Inuyasha was fighting Akumu in his demon form. Akumu had cuts racing up and down his body. He had blood pouring down his face and into his eyes, turning the grass into a dark rust. He was swaying as he stood there, looking as if he may fall over any minute. Inuyasha stood in front of him, an evil grin on his face. His claws were drenched in blood. There didn't seem to be any wounds on him at all. 

"What happened?" I whispered. 

"This wasn't according to the plan," Sango replied. "He was suppose to let Akumu feed on him and then Miroku and I were to attack from behind and use this exorcism chant that Lady Kaede had taught us to use. But when we got here, Inuyasha was in demon form and ripping Akumu apart." I watched as Akumu tried to stagger away, but Inuyasha just swiped his claws up Akumu's arm, creating a new wound and fresh blood. Akumu screamed and fell forward to his knees. 

"I give up," he yelled looking up at Inuyasha. "I surrender!!!" Inuyasha cracked the bones in his hands. 

"Too late for that Akumu," he said. "I am going to tear you apart and enjoy every second of it." 

"Inuyasha no this isn't you!" I yelled. 

"Kagome no," Sango said. "We need to get out of here before Inuyasha loses what little sanity he does have and comes after you." 

"Sango can Miroku really destroy Akumu?" I asked. 

"Yes we believe that this incantation is very powerful. Lady Kaede said it was an ancient spell." 

"We have to stop Inuyasha before he loses his soul to his demon self. He has never used his demon side to battle before. His demon self only surfaced when Tetsusaiga was out of his reach or he was close death. He chose to fight this battle with his demon form. If he wins using his demon form, he may lose his soul and never change back!!" I was starting to feel my arms again. "Sango let me go. I will talk to Inuyasha. I will get him to stop. Then Miroku can destroy Akumu and we can save Inuyasha's soul." Sango's eyes were full of fear. 

"But Kagome if anything should happen to you..." I could feel the fear start to surface but I remember back to my dream I had several months before. No matter what Inuyasha may do to me, I was going to do everything in my power to save him. 

"Don't worry Sango." I smiled. "It's Inuyasha. He won't hurt me." She looked at me for a what felt like an eternity then nodded. 

"Alright. I will tell Miroku to get ready. Be careful Kagome." I turned back to Inuyasha and took a deep breath and walked past Miroku's barrier. 

"Inuyasha," I said. I watched as he turned to me quickly and his eyes widen. 

"Kagome!!" he said his voice rough. "What are you doing?!" I stumbled over to him, pain filling my every step but I kept going. 

"I am trying to stop you from making a terrible mistake," I whispered. His body grew tense and anger flashed across his face. 

"Mistake?! MISTAKE?! Not killing this monster would be a mistake. Look what he did to you Kagome! How much did you have to suffer because of him?!" 

"I know...that he is a monster and that he needs to die but Inuyasha not like this. Not at the hands of your demon self." I put my hand on his arm. "Inuyasha if you kill him like this you could lose your soul. I would rather this monster live then have you lose your soul and kill him for all the terrible things he has done to us." I reached up and kissed him gently on the cheek. "I love you and Inuyasha and I won't lose you. Not now not ever." Inuyasha's red eyes seemed to burn through my soul and tried find the deep fear that I was hiding but I refused to let him see. "Never let him see the fear," I thought. 

"Ok Kagome. I won't kill him this way," he said quietly. I smiled and then suddenly felt a sharp sting in my back. I felt all the breath leave my body. 

"Inuyasha!" I gasped, falling forward into his body.


	22. Chapter 22

Inuyasha's POV

Akumu was laughing. All I could see was a knife covered in blood in his hands and Kagome falling in front of me. 

"Kagome!!" I yelled, catching her as she fell. "Kagome!" I put my arm around her and held her facing me. Her eyes were unfocused and confused. 

"Inuyasha?" I heard her whisper. "What...what happened?" I could feel blood pouring out from the stab wound in her back. 

"Shhh....don't talk right now Kagome. It is going to be all right." I felt fear rise up in me and overtake my mind. Kagome was going to die. Right here right now in my arms. And there was nothing I could do!! 

"I knew I could get the most out of you if I killed Kagome right in front of you," Akumu laughed. He was standing up and a fog seemed to connect him to me. He was feeding off my soul. "I knew that if Kagome died in your arms that you would be so paralyzed by fear and sorrow that I could take the best nourishment I had in years from you at that precise moment. I have won Inuyasha. And Kagome will die. Just like I told her that she would." I wanted to rip Akumu apart, to tear his body from limb to limb and watched the ground drink up his blood. But Kagome's hand was on my arm and she squeezed it gently. 

"Stay with me Inuyasha," she whispered. I could feel my strength starting to leave. All the fear and anguish from the past few months slowly faded away. Nothing else mattered except Kagome. I brushed her hair out of her face and kissed her gently on the forehead. 

"I won't leave you Kagome," I whispered. A smile formed across her face. 

"Everything is going to be all right now," she said. I could hear a scream from very far away, but that didn't matter to me. 

"Kagome don't leave me please. I need you to stay with me," I said. 

"I won't leave you Inuyasha. I promise." 

Black spots filled my vision. I guess Kagome and I were going to die together. That was ok. I couldn't live without her and I knew that she felt the same way....


	23. Chapter 23

Inuyasha's POV

I could feel a cold cloth on my forehead. The liquid from the cloth ran down my cheek and left a cold chill on my face. I opened my eyes and saw the dark sky above. Stars shone down brightly and illuminated the area around me. I turned my head and saw Kagome's face laying next to me.  She looked so pale in the moonlight. 

"Kagome," I whispered. She stirred and her beautiful brown eyes opened.  

"Inuyasha," she said. 

"Hey." I smiled. 

"Hey yourself. How are you feeling?" 

"Tired. Very tired," she said, looking away and up at the sky. "Looks like we both survived again."  I followed her gaze up towards the sky. 

"Yeah. Miroku must have exorcised Akumu." I pulled the cloth off my head and sat up. The world spun for a moment but then it stopped leaving me with a huge headache. I turned and pulled Kagome into my arm, laying her head gently down on my arm. I wiped the dirt off her face with the cold cloth. "Kagome I am so sorry for all of this," I said. She looked up at me and smiled. 

"Oh stop it," she said. "We are safe and that is all the counts." 

"But look at how hurt you are!" I exclaimed. "And all my fault!!" Kagome put her hand on my face. 

"Inuyasha just because you are afraid does not mean you are weak. It just shows how much you care. I am afraid too sometimes but I can't let that stop me from living and trying to do everything in my power to keep those I love safe. You kept me safe to the best of your ability. That's all I need." I pulled her close and kissed her gently. 

"I love you Kagome. I will always protect you." 

"And I will always protect you Inuyasha."

The End


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